Continued from the book Perfect questions and perfect answers.....
Śrīla Prabhupāda: So, you just follow in their footsteps, and your desire will be fulfilled. We are training them how to become purified and happy. That is our mission we want to see everyone happy. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. People do not know how to become happy. They do not take the standard path to become happy. They manufacture their own way. That is the difficulty. Therefore, Ṛṣabhadeva gave this advice to his sons: "My dear boys, just undergo austerity for transcendental realization." Everyone is performing austerity. This boy I know—he had to go to a foreign country to learn commercial management. Now he is well situated. In this way. everyone must undergo some austerity for future life. So why not take that austerity for permanent happiness? You have to purify your existence and your body. As many times as you accept a material body, you will have to change it. But as soon as you get a spiritual body, there is no question of change. You already have a spiritual body. Now, due to our material contamination, we are developing the material body. But if we associate with spiritual life, then we shall develop a spiritual body. The same example I have several times given is that if you put an iron rod within fire, it will become like fire. Is it not?
Bob: Put the iron rod into fire?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, and it will become like fire.
Bob: Yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Although iron.
Bob: Yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Similarly, if you always keep yourself spiritually engaged, your body will act spiritually, although it is material. The same example: when an iron rod is red-hot, touch it anywhere, and it will burn. It takes on the quality of fire. Similarly, if you always keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will become spiritualized. You will act spiritually. No more material demands.
Bob: How do I do this?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: This process. They are doing it. You have seen these boys, our six boys who have been initiated today. It is very simple. You have to follow the four restrictive regulations and chant these beads. Very easy.
Bob: Well, but, see—when I am back in Bihar and following my lifestyle there, I—if I follow all these regulative principles—some I follow now, but not all—
Śrīla Prabhupāda: "Some" means... ?
Bob: "Some"?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: There are only four regulative principles. "Some" means three, or two?
Bob: Two or three.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: So why not the other one?
Bob: No, no. I mean I follow one or two. One or two I follow now.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: [Laughs.] Why not the other three? What is the difficulty? Which one do you follow?
Bob: Which one do I follow? Well, I'm almost vegetarian, but I eat eggs.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then that is also not complete.
Bob: No, not even complete. Since last time [November], I've become vegetarian, but...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Vegetarian is no qualification.
Bob: Not much.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: The pigeon is vegetarian. The monkey is vegetarian—the most rubbish creature...
Bob: Well...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: The monkey is vegetarian. This naked sannyāsī lives in the forest... the most mischievous...
Bob: I—I felt that it was a little bit of progress because it was somewhat difficult at first, then easy, and I had returned to—
Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, you can stick to all the regulative principles, provided you take to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process—otherwise it is not possible.
Bob: Yes, this is it. I have—when I'm back in Bihar, and—um—my friends may say... We're sitting in the evening, and there's nothing to do but fight mosquitoes, and they say, "How about smoking some marijuana?" And I say, "Sure, there's nothing else to do;" and then I sit down, and I enjoy myself for the evening. Now we did this, we got carried away. we were doing it every day and realizing we were hurting ourselves and stopped, but still on occasion we...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: You have to live with us. Then your friends will not ask you, "What about marijuana?" [Bob laughs.] Keep the association of devotees. We are opening centers to give people a chance to associate with us. Why have we taken so much land [in Māyāpur]? Those who are seriously desirous—they will come and live with us. Association is very influential. If you associate with drunkards, you become drunk; if you associate with sādhus, then you become a sādhu.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: So, you just follow in their footsteps, and your desire will be fulfilled. We are training them how to become purified and happy. That is our mission we want to see everyone happy. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. People do not know how to become happy. They do not take the standard path to become happy. They manufacture their own way. That is the difficulty. Therefore, Ṛṣabhadeva gave this advice to his sons: "My dear boys, just undergo austerity for transcendental realization." Everyone is performing austerity. This boy I know—he had to go to a foreign country to learn commercial management. Now he is well situated. In this way. everyone must undergo some austerity for future life. So why not take that austerity for permanent happiness? You have to purify your existence and your body. As many times as you accept a material body, you will have to change it. But as soon as you get a spiritual body, there is no question of change. You already have a spiritual body. Now, due to our material contamination, we are developing the material body. But if we associate with spiritual life, then we shall develop a spiritual body. The same example I have several times given is that if you put an iron rod within fire, it will become like fire. Is it not?
Bob: Put the iron rod into fire?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, and it will become like fire.
Bob: Yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Although iron.
Bob: Yes.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Similarly, if you always keep yourself spiritually engaged, your body will act spiritually, although it is material. The same example: when an iron rod is red-hot, touch it anywhere, and it will burn. It takes on the quality of fire. Similarly, if you always keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will become spiritualized. You will act spiritually. No more material demands.
Bob: How do I do this?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: This process. They are doing it. You have seen these boys, our six boys who have been initiated today. It is very simple. You have to follow the four restrictive regulations and chant these beads. Very easy.
Bob: Well, but, see—when I am back in Bihar and following my lifestyle there, I—if I follow all these regulative principles—some I follow now, but not all—
Śrīla Prabhupāda: "Some" means... ?
Bob: "Some"?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: There are only four regulative principles. "Some" means three, or two?
Bob: Two or three.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: So why not the other one?
Bob: No, no. I mean I follow one or two. One or two I follow now.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: [Laughs.] Why not the other three? What is the difficulty? Which one do you follow?
Bob: Which one do I follow? Well, I'm almost vegetarian, but I eat eggs.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then that is also not complete.
Bob: No, not even complete. Since last time [November], I've become vegetarian, but...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Vegetarian is no qualification.
Bob: Not much.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: The pigeon is vegetarian. The monkey is vegetarian—the most rubbish creature...
Bob: Well...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: The monkey is vegetarian. This naked sannyāsī lives in the forest... the most mischievous...
Bob: I—I felt that it was a little bit of progress because it was somewhat difficult at first, then easy, and I had returned to—
Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, you can stick to all the regulative principles, provided you take to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness process—otherwise it is not possible.
Bob: Yes, this is it. I have—when I'm back in Bihar, and—um—my friends may say... We're sitting in the evening, and there's nothing to do but fight mosquitoes, and they say, "How about smoking some marijuana?" And I say, "Sure, there's nothing else to do;" and then I sit down, and I enjoy myself for the evening. Now we did this, we got carried away. we were doing it every day and realizing we were hurting ourselves and stopped, but still on occasion we...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: You have to live with us. Then your friends will not ask you, "What about marijuana?" [Bob laughs.] Keep the association of devotees. We are opening centers to give people a chance to associate with us. Why have we taken so much land [in Māyāpur]? Those who are seriously desirous—they will come and live with us. Association is very influential. If you associate with drunkards, you become drunk; if you associate with sādhus, then you become a sādhu.
To be continued...
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